1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to shipping containers for integrated circuit devices and especially toward a carrier that has removable barriers, each barrier maintaining protective separation between the individual devices.
2. Relevant Art and Information Disclosure
Prior integrated circuit devices comprise a rectangular plastic, ceramic or aluminum block about the size of a postage stamp and a number of leads extending along a pair of opposite edges of the block. Wide spread practice has been to transport these devices in plastic tubes (carriers). having a generally cross sectional shape similar to the letter "A" such that a number of these devices are insertable into the tube with the leads straddling a central internal ridge.
Various modifications to the "A" frame carrier have been introduced over the years to resolve certain problems associated with shipping the device. One of the major problems with shipping devices in "A" frame carriers was that the leads rubbing against the central ridge would generate static electricity that would damage the device.
An early approach to resolving this problem was to coat the tube with an electrically conductive carbon based coating. However, this practice prevented the user from inspecting identifying indicia on the IC surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,832 to de Matteo discloses an elongated window on the top surface of the "A" frame that permits the viewer to inspect the indicia of Integrated circuits devices stored in the tube.
Another approach to resolving this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,350 to Yen for an "A" frame having a pair of indents extruded in the shoulder of the cross sectional profile of the tube which prevents the leads of the older style IC device from rubbing against the central ridge.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,778 to Boeckmann et al and 4,712,675 to Scholten et al disclose carriers of the type wherein pockets holding devices are molded into an elongated member. This approach does not provide the convenience of being able to feed serially the devices one at a time out of the end of the elongated member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,679 to Lowe discloses a package for disks having removable separators wherein separators are removable one at a time and require that the package must be opened in order to gain access to the disks.
A more recently developed IC device is one in which the device is square and a larger number of leads are provided which are mounted on all four edges of the device. Additionally, the method of mounting the devices has changed with the advent of surface mount technology. In order to attach integrated circuits with a large number of leads to a flat mounting surface, "J" shaped leads are used which must be coplanar in order that all leads touch the surface simultaneously. These devices are also currently shipped in extruded plastic tube carriers. The problem with shipping the devices in these carriers is that the leads of neighboring devices come into contact with one another which results in bending the leads so that they are no longer coplanar. This results in rejection of otherwise good devices or the requirement to manually straighten the leads in an effort to reestablish coplanarity.